April Djed Storms bring May.... (Open)

[Balthazaar Kraigen]

Balthazaar surfed through the many aisles of books with excitement. There was so much knowledge stored in this one place, so much he could learn about Avanthal and its plant life. It was so much, in fact, that he was having trouble trying to pick one singular book to take off the shelves and start reading. After several minutes of torture, he decided that just one wasn’t going to cut it and started flying through the aisles like a mad man collecting a wide variety of tomes. By the time he was finished, six somewhat large books were resting in the cradle of his arms and he was trying with all his might not to drop them. Making his way towards one of the tables in the in the common area of the library, he put the stack down as gently as he could muster and collapsed in one of the chairs. ‘Where to start? Where to start?’ Balthazaar decided to open the book that identified and classified the different flora and fauna around the Avanthal region and quickly flipped to the section that was more relevant to him. Grabbing the of the plant specimens that he had picked up earlier on their walk, he started going through the process of finding them in the book and making a mental note of their properties and uses. After what seemed like several minutes of doing this (but in reality was actually a solid hour), he closed the book and looked up at Sliver to see what she was up to. As soon as he did, a feeling of guilt welled up inside him. Although she was sitting a good distance away from him, the expression on her face was clear: absolute and utter boredom. ‘Why would you bring a Kelvic into a library?!’ He thought to himself, or a voice whispered in his head, he wasn’t quite sure, either way he/it had a point. This was his kind of place, not Sliver’s kind of place. Organizing the books in a nice neat pile, he swiftly made his way over to the Kelvic and took the seat closest to her. “Hey, you want to get out of here? Go somewhere a little more ‘fun’?”

[Sliver]

To the botanist's surprise the Kelvic did not look up from her tome, the same one she had been studying for the hour they had been in there, and held up her hand for him to be quiet. She was on the cusp of a discovery, she just knew it, and he had brought her here dammit, shouldn't he still have his nose in one of those other books? The creatures recorded therein she was unfamiliar with, not just one or two creatures, but all of them. This struck her as odd, for she had been all across Mizahar in her lifetime, a few species being unknown to her was entirely logical, but 100% of the creatures in this book she had never seen, nor heard of in her travels, at least not hat she could remember. They seemed to come from all over, not just Taldera, and then it began to dawn on her. They were dead, and not just dead, extinct. Mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, extinct from the Valterrian, never to be seen in Mizahar again. They were sketched beautifully, and the book was old, but not old enough, and must surely have been a copy, maybe a copy of a copy of some encyclopedia of pre-Valterrian knowledge, for there were many blank spaces, probably due to lack of material, books saved from before the Valterrian were rare indeed, and she doubted she'd ewant to risk touching one even if she could get her hands on it. Books were not for her kind anyway, not normally. She wondered how many Kelvic had ever been the animal's that graced the pages of that book, how many Kelvic died in that great event. And for the first time her mind drifted in a much more curious manner to her creator. Marcus Kelvic, a powerful mage indeed. Was he still alive? Still alive through his magicks, still living on Ironrock, the location of which was lost in the apocalyptic events that transpired not so long ago? It was a foolish thought on the one hand, yet a persistent one. She had never given much stock in Marcus, he was her creator, yes, but he was still a man...or...was he? For a moment something nagging pulled at the Kelvic's mind, a desire for knowledge that she had never quite felt before. SLAM The book shut with a desperate attempt at finality. Damn books, damn this library, and damn those words she couldn't read, still somehow working their way into her thoughts. She leapt up like a cat whose paw had jut slipped into a puddle and composed herself before sliding the book back into it's rightful position, then shaking her head as if to clear the thoughts that were already rapidly fading away. Balthazaar's words from before drifted back into her mind, an echo of when he said them and the Kelvic absentmindedly nodded her acquiescence at his interrogative remark as she strode slowly from the library. Yes, fun...elsewhere.

[Balthazaar Kraigen]

As Kelvic rose from her seat and made her way towards the exit, Balthazaar noticed that her mood had changed. She seemed to be distant and disoriented, as if he had just pulled her out a dream. He wanted to ask about her well being, but figured that she would probably just shrug the question off and dismiss her mood as unimportant. The best thing to do was to get her to someplace where she would enjoy herself more and then maybe her mood would improve…maybe. “I’ll be back at a later date” Balthazaar said with a smile as he passed the old man, a little disappointed in having to leave so soon. Darkness was starting to fall on the city when they finally left the establishment. Glowing lights and sounds of laughter could be heard in the distance as the shops were either closing down or opening up. With the natural light beginning to fade, he wondered where he could take the Kelvic that wouldn’t be closed or closing soon. “So…” The young botanist began, accentuating the “o” for as long as he could. “Have anywhere in mind?” To be honest, he had no idea what to do. She was still a mystery to him and he wasn’t really sure what kind of things she liked to do. He knew that it was probably better just to cut his losses and call it a night, but he felt bad about the whole library thing and didn’t want to leave on a bad note. “I guess what I’m trying to say is…” He paused again, this time taking a second to examine the expression on her face before continuing. “…what do you like to do for fun?...that we can do at night…in this city”

[Sliver]

She was upset. She got upset about things that made sense, losing her kill, stupid people, not books. This was just a feeling, but she didn't like it, the wolverine never liked it when her world lost that certainty. She knew what she was, her purpose: to serve and protect, no matter what the cost, but it was times like this that shook that confidence, and left her with nagging doubts eating at her brain like termites. She was an animal, an animal, an animal. GRAAAAAAAHHHH! She roared at the top of her lungs outside of the library, causing more than a few glances her way. That felt a bit better at least. Every now and then when she had been in human form too long, she liked to remind herself of what she was inside. Ah, that's what they should do. Alright botanist. You want to know what I do for fun? You go to my realm now. She wasn't mad at Balthazaar per se, none of this was really his fault, but he had inadvertently caused this event. She needed to kill something, and since it wasn't going to be him, it might as well be productive. She ran. This time it wasn't the enthusiastic and competitive sprint, but a solid jog, one that set a pace that they would be keeping for a while, they were going into the woods: They were going to hunt.

[Balthazaar Kraigen]

As Sliver sprinted off, Balthazaar noticed that something had changed about her. She had shed off the debilitating façade of being human and established a link with her true self, an animal and a fearsome one at that. It was change that seemed to speak to him on a level that words themselves would never be able to him. ‘She embraces her primal urges, why can’t you?!’ The nagging voice had returned, but this time it was not a whisper. It was loud and powerful, echoing through the vast expanses of Balthazaar’s mind like an orchestra of drums. Even when the voice disappeared a thumping sound could still be heard ringing through head, looking down at his body he realized that it was his heart beating with excitement. His body tensed and a tingling sensation came over every pore on his body. He knew this feeling, he had felt this feeling before, but he hadn’t felt it in a long time. ‘Follow her’ The voice commanded and his body complied. The invigorating sensations pulsing through his body made the sprint to catch up fairly simple. It wasn't long before he was standing side by side with the Kelvic, bow in hand and his eyes narrowed and focused. An expression of naivety could no longer be seen on the young man's face, it had been replaced with the cold stare of a hunter. Gone was the timid lover of plants and avid scholar, there was no room for him in this moment. The Dhani within him had reared his ugly head and was not about to leave until fresh blood was spilled. The hunt was on and Balthazaar was ready.

[Sliver]

The wolverine may have noticed the change in Balthazaar's mindset had she looked back as they ran, but she did not. She just kept moving, aware that the botanist was a few paces behind her. Her breathing was just beginning to get on the edges of laborious when she stopped, bare feet silently ceasing on the soft ground. Her head tilted upward, nose catching the scents on the air. There was that staleness that hung around them, the smell associated with the lack of snow, as if the land itself was not used to sitting in this comparably balmy weather. Sliver stepped forward a few paces, then lowered herself down on all fours, trying to catch something. They proceeded about a quarter of a mile in this fashion before the Kelvic stopped. Her head flicked upwards and her eyes widened. About 200 yards from their location was a herd of about eight caribou, grazing and occasionally glancing around warily to check their surroundings. Sliver's nostrils flared, and she slowly rose up, undressed quickly and in a flash of misty grey smoke, a small hefty animal stood in her place. The wolverine took this time to seize up the botanist. He clearly was in gear to hunt with her, that was for certain. The wolverine nodded approvingly then slunk off into the trees. While her jaws could snap the neck of any Caribou, she excelled with herds with smaller numbers, or when one had a wound that she could take advantage of. Her stumpy legs might be long enough to catch a hare, but they could never last in a deer or caribou chase. She would try to flush them out and leave it to the botanist with the bow to see if he could down one. Vaguely in the back of the wolverine's mind it occurred to her that she had not informed her new acquaintance of this plan beforehand, but if all went well and she could circle around the herd without notice, she would optimally be driving them towards his location, and he'd probably figure it out by then. The Kelvic grimaced a little as she made a wide berth around the herd. There were birds in the trees, the rustle of the wind, natural noises to camouflage any sound she might be making, but she couldn't help but think how much easier this would be with a thick layer of snow on the ground. Every paw was carefully placed, and time dragged on as she made her careful way through the woods.

[Balthazaar Kraigen]

Balthazaar was confused at first when the Kelvic dashed deeper into the woods without saying a word. He initially took it as sign that she wished to hunt alone and no longer desired the pleasure of his company. However, just before heading off to hunt in another part of the forest, a thought crossed his mind in the form of a memory. For a brief moment he remembered all the hunting trips he took with his father and the various techniques he had shown him. ‘She’s flushing them out’ He thought to himself with a smirk. This suited Balthazaar just fine, he was never very good at flushing out prey himself, he always depended on his father to do it for him. Besides, she was much better equipped for the job than he was. With her animal senses finding, stalking and shepherding whatever animal she found would be much easier than it would be for him. His job involved patience and focus. He needed to be ready when she drove the animal in his direction, ready to deliver a killing blow. So looking around his surroundings, he tried to find best place to hide with a good vantage point for shooting. Unfortunately for him there weren’t very many hardy trees in this part of the forest, so finding a solid branch to sit on was not an option. There was, however, a log not too far in the distance that seemed to be on some sort of elevation. It wouldn’t be perfect, but it had a better view than the rest of the areas surrounding him. With as quiet footsteps as he could muster, he made his way to log and took a seat. It teetered a bit as he did this, but not enough for him to be concerned for his safety. After he had set the gear he didn’t need for the hunt behind the log, he began collecting twigs, leaves, and other plants around the log and putting them into a pile. He made sure to avoid any vegetation that he wasn’t sure about, knowing that some plants in Taldera were lethal and unforgiving. After collecting a rather substantial pile, he went to work rubbing his body down with the wide variety of materials. There wasn’t a breeze at this moment in time, so he wasn’t really worried about the animal catching scent of him, but he liked to be prepared in case something went wrong. The natural scent of the materials wouldn’t be enough to mask his scent completely, but it would be enough if the wind wasn’t severe. When he felt sufficiently satisfied with his “nature bath”, he grabbed his bow and repositioned his quiver so that it would be easier to draw from when the time came. Settling in, he closed his eyes and let his other senses take over. He knew he would hear that game crashing through the woods before he saw it and the sooner he heard the sound the more time he would have to prepare the shot. Focused and calm, he let the forest speak to him and waited for the moment of truth. “Blood must be spilled tonight…”

[Sliver]

It was slow going, and after a while the wolverine's muscles began to ache with the strain of lowering her body so slowly with every step. Any false move, crack of a twig or suspicious rustling of the leaves could set her prey off in the entirely wrong direction, she had to get this right. Despite the pain the wolverine couldn't help but feel adrenaline begin to course through her being as the minutes ticked by, her goal closer and closer. This was where she belonged, out in the wild, aiding a friend. friend? She paused for a moment to contemplate this without the strain. Yes, she supposed the botanist and her had reached the point of friendship in this short time. He was an odd duck, to be sure, and she was unsure exactly what his next move would be, but she felt an affection for him all the same. She shook her head a little and continued onward. She was close, close to the position she had been eyeing for a while now when her paw sank into some mud. It sucked at her foot and she wrenched and pulled at the force that had suctioned her appendage in. Several moments of almost panic were done in an instant when with a loud squelch her paw became free. Her heart froze and she looked to her right, breath caught in her throat. It was released, albeit slowly, when it was clear the herd had not heard her. So she stepped forward and suddenly the echoing crack of the dry branch she stepped on reverberated in her ears Snap The caribou were off. The wolverine decided to go all out and snarled and growled, shaking the bushes as she went, hoping to trick them into thinking she was a larger predator. Well she hadn't gotten completely around them, but they were headed in the general direction of Balthazaar to be sure. The wolverine lumbered after the heard, relieved to have the freedom of quick movements and hoping the botanist was ready.

[Balthazaar Kraigen]

A low rumbling could be heard in the distance and instantly Balthazaar was on high alert. Drawing an arrow from his sheath, he positioned his bow and waited for the game to appear. As the rumbling sound grew closer, his heart started beating rapidly, his eyes narrowed and his body tensed. With the prey mere seconds away, Balthazaar drew his bow back and waited for its appearance. The next few seconds passed like minutes to the young botanist. The caribou appeared, the arrow was released, blood was spilled and then his prey fled back into the woods. Even before the arrow hit the caribou, he could tell it wasn’t going to be a killing blow. He had been too shaky on the release and it had caused him to aim a little lower than intended. This, however, was not necessarily bad news for the group of hunters. Although not a killing blow, Balthazaar figured he had caused enough damage that the caribou would bleed out and die within a matter of minutes. The problem was whether the wound would slow it down enough to make tracking possible or not. Either way, he decided to wait for Sliver to return before going anywhere, her senses would be the key to finding it. Grabbing his gear from behind the log and putting his bow away, he made his way down to the spot where he had hit his target to look for blood. Fortunately, his arrow had hit the caribou with quite an impact and had left an abundance of it on the ground. Looking in the direction that Sliver had run off to, Bathazaar waited for her to join him. Within moments, the wolverine emerged from the forest and seemed to look up at young botanist for explanation. Without saying a word, he dabbed his fingers in the blood, brought it up to her face and then pointed in the direction where the caribou fled. Rubbing the blood between his two fingers and his thumb, he waited for the wolverine to take the lead knowing that she was the only one who could find it.

[Sliver]

Not knowing the hunting skills of her companion, the wolverine had assumed the worst of the young botanist. Looking at the negative side of things sometimes helped however, for she was pleasantly surprised by the strength of the smell of fresh blood, warmth beneath the treads of her paws. It only took a moment to see what the botanist had in mind and the wolverine was off into the forest. The injured caribou had had time to gain a space advantage on the two hunters, certainly, but the wolverine's jaw hung in a toothy grin as she loped forward through the undergrowth. Certain signs showed the animal was limping, the brush was disturbed, drag marks popped up here and there in the less than solid earth. Occasionally she would lose the scent in a cool breeze, but between the smell of fresh blood and the signs of a wounded dying caribou, she had the tools necessary to find it. After all, it would only be a matter of time before the thing- Just then they broke out of the trees into a small valley, and only twenty feet away sat the heaving caribou, blood, mud and sweat matting its once shining fur. It lowed in a resigned manner when it caught sight of them, as if aware its time drew near. The wolverine dashed forward hoping to end its misery as swiftly as possible. While shots like this couldn't be prevented certainly, it seemed wrong to let the creature linger in its death unnecessarily.